


the ringing of the bell

by mysterytwin



Category: Gravity Falls
Genre: F/M, Mild Cursing, Princess Diaries AU
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-07-08
Updated: 2016-07-08
Packaged: 2018-07-22 06:39:14
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 13,052
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7424005
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/mysterytwin/pseuds/mysterytwin
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Living a life full of bells, money, and lies, Pacifica didn't expect to be royalty. But if her parents aren't going to do anything good and worthwhile in their lives, then she is. (Princess Diaries AU)</p>
            </blockquote>





	the ringing of the bell

It doesn't stop. 

The shrill sound of Preston Northwest's stupid bell keeps ringing in her ears over and over. She wants it to stop. _Stop, stop, stop!_ God, why isn't it _stopping_?

 _Stop, stop, stop, stop_ , she repeats in her mind, hoping it'll go away. The mantra doesn't stick, but the ringing does. _Please_ , she's begging at this point, _make it stop_. She can't keep herself from crying. 

Along with the ringing of the bell comes the memories of her parents shouting at her. There's screaming and arguing and crying and her _tears falling down her face and then there's—_

Ringing.

She'd stopped arguing. Stopped crying. Stopped _trying_. After that is a short and faded memory of her walking away with her head low and fists clenched even when there's nothing else she can do. 

She just wants it all to _stop._

It wasn't even supposed to happen. It was supposed to be a normal, quiet dinner like always but _no_. Stupid Charlie Granola (what kind of last name was that, anyway?) just had to complain to his father about getting rejected by her, didn't he?

Her father had commented on the poor boy's heart getting broken ( _whatever_ , he totally deserved all the embarrassment) because of her rejection to go out with him. Her mother had disapproved. 

_"But he didn't even genuinely like me!"_ she had tried to argue. _"He thought I was just some dumb blonde!"_

It hadn't worked. 

So now she's here, hair sprawled on the bed, her face a mess of tears and ruined make-up. She's tired of everything, oh so _tired._

It makes her angry that her parents think she's just some dumb blonde that should give herself away to some guy who doesn't even know her (first) name. She didn't need anyone. 

(Maybe a little support would be nice, but not a guy who's going to control her. No fucking way.)

(No one knows, anyway. The things her parents do. The bell. The shame. The _truth_.)

So she calms herself down until the ringing stops. She takes deep breaths and tries to stop herself from shaking — it takes a little more time than usual, but that's okay — and thinks about other things. Things like the how the rain drops look beautiful as they race each other in her window, and how bright the candle is as it lightens up her room. Things like that make her feel okay again. 

Then it stops. 

She's thankful. 

Pacifica Northwest sighs, knowing that she's going to need a lot of make-up if she's going to cover up the dark circles around her eyes tomorrow morning. It's a little past two in the morning and it gives her relief to know that the ringing's stopped. Well, not really. It's still there. But she can manage. 

She always does. 

She remembers that she's supposed to come over to Mabel's house the next day (well, technically, it's _today_ ) and a part of her wants to bail because she just wants to be alone. But Mabel's her only friend and she doesn't want to lose that trust. (Her brother doesn't count. They have a mutual dislike for one another.)

She's exhausted. A part of her wants to sneak out and break the stupid bell (although she knows she doesn't really have it in her to do it), but the other part is simply telling her to sleep. And so she does.

* * *

When Pacifica rubs the sleep out of her eyes, a quick glance at her clock tells her she's late. 

"Shit," she mumbles, forcing herself out of bed and she starts walking towards the bathroom. Great. She's late for school. She's _never_ late for school. Why hadn't the maid woken her up? Why didn't her parents?

(She knows the answer: because no one cares.)

(It hurts a bit.)

She's halfway to the bathroom door when she realizes the real, stupid answer. 

It's a Saturday. 

She continues to head to the bathroom, anyway, figuring that she might as well get a head start. After showering, she grabs her phone, checking for any new messages. 

There's one from her parents, but it doesn't surprise her. She knows what it's going to say. 

_Your mother and I will be back on Tuesday. Don't do anything that will bring shame to the family name._

(She snorts at the accidental rhyme.) 

Because of the message that showed how much her parents care about her, she's a little happy to see that she has six messages from Mabel. 

_Pacificaaaaaaa_

_you're still coming right??????_

_I know I said it was a surprise_

_but I'm so excited!!!!!!_

_we're gonna have loads of fun_

_so come as soon as possible okayyyy??_

Her fingers type out her reply, knowing she'll receive an answer almost immediately after she sends it. 

_i'm still coming over don't worry_

Her phone buzzes a little after that. She rolls her eyes. 

_Cool!!!!!_

She leaves her phone on her bed when she goes to breakfast. As usual, there's no one else in sight in the dining room. Her parents are already gone, and she too will be soon. 

Pacifica eats slowly and quietly, with the exception of her utensils clanging on the plate. She's supposed to be on some sort of diet (courtesy of her mother), but right now, she can care less. She takes a mental note to bring some chocolate over to the Mystery Shack. 

Pacifica leaves a little after breakfast, even though she has no idea what she's even going to do at the Shack. She doesn't take the limo, like her parents would expect her to do (okay — so she might be doing it out of _spite_ ), so instead she walks. It isn't that far, anyway. 

Her eyes land on the slightly run-down building not too far away. In her opinion, it could use some redecorating. The trees whistle around her, and she wonders why anyone would want to live in the middle of a forest. How did the king even allow that?

She climbs up the steps, and knocks on the door. Her fingers fidget a little, even though she doesn't know why she's nervous. There's nothing to be nervous of. 

The door opens and she sees the one person who never even took a second glance at her whenever she comes over. 

"Oh," he says, his voice monotonous. "It's you."

Dipper Pines is — and preferably, always will be — a mystery to her. He always carries around some red book with a hand on it and his eyes seem to always think about something far away. He seems to love mysteries a lot, which involves going out into the forest a lot. But he loves his sister a lot and will do anything to protect her. Even she knows that. It's obvious. 

"Nice to see you, too, Pines," she mutters with the same enthusiastic tone as him. She passes him and steps behind the door. "Where's—"

"She's up in the attic," Dipper interrupts. He closes the door, crossing his arms. It's a wonder how he's not caring that stupid book of his for once. 

She nods, about to leave when he speaks again. 

"I don't hate you, okay? Well, I kind of do, since you used to be all snotty and bratty, but you're better now, I guess. Ever since that mini-golf incident," he winces. "Sorry about that. Anyway, Mabel thinks I hate you and she told me that the only way to convince her was to tell you I don't. So yeah, don't get any ideas about this, Northwest." He swings his arms, his voice a little louder. "You content now, Mabel?"

There's a shriek from upstairs and Dipper shakes his head, knowing she heard the whole confession. 

Pacifica still doesn't know what to say after all that. Eyes blinking rapidly, she swallows. "I don't hate you, either." He looks a little close to smiling. Too bad. "But that doesn't mean I like you," she adds, watching the smile fade. 

He shakes his head again. "I can't believe you almost had me there."

"You'll break one day, Noodle Arms," she grins evilly. "Just you wait."

"Noodle Arms? That's a new one. Quite pathetic. You're starting to lack in creativity, Pacifica."

She rolls her eyes. "Whatever. I'm leaving your sorry butt now, anyway." With those final words, she turns around and climbs up the stairs and to the attic. 

Pacifica's greeted by a loud scream and a hug the moment she enters the door. 

"My brother doesn't hate you!" she exclaims, letting go. "I heard the whole thing. You two little broken teacups are gonna be great friends!"

 _Broken teacups?_ "Sure," she replies, walking towards the beds. "Whatever you say, Mabel. I still don't like him. Besides, what did you say we were doing today?"

"I didn't," she grins. Mabel walks toward her. "We…" she kneels on the floor and looks under the bed, "are going…" she paused dramatically. 

Pacifica crosses her arms. "Spit it out. I can't wait all day."

She brings out two swimsuits, one in each hand. They're both in bright, neon pink. "SWIMMING!"

Pacifica's eyes widen. "You don't think you could've, I don't know, _warned_ me about this?"

Mabel looks at her sheepishly. "Well, I told you it was a surprise, didn't I? What would be the fun in that?"

Pacifica stares at the clothing on her hands. "Look, I appreciate it, but I am _not_ wearing that. It's too…bright."

Mabel frowns. "Come ooooon! It'll be fun! Boys will stare at us, like, all the time!"

She cringes, remembering the argument she had with her parents the night before. With her luck, Charlie Granola would be at the pool. "Can't we just have a movie marathon or something?"

"But you're Pacifica Northwest! You love it when people stare at you!" Mabel says, placing her hands on her hips. "It'll be fun!"

She bites her lip, knowing she won't be able to get out of it. "Alright, fine." Pacifica grabs the swimsuit from her hand and walks to the bathroom. "And by the way, I'm going to look so much better than you."

Mabel grins. "That's the spirit!"

* * *

It's two days after, so she can safely admit that the whole swimming thing doesn't turn out too bad, but there's one downside: she forgot her locket at the Shack. It's been with her for as long as she can remember, so it's weird not having it hang around her neck. 

Anyway, Mabel's supposed to give it back to her when they meet for recess. A part of her feels more reassured when the necklace is around her neck. It's weird. 

(But Gravity Falls is a weird kingdom, so she really can't say anything.)

She's walking to class when her name is called through the speaker, and she's a little nervous and a little scared; her blood runs cold because she can't be a perfect student if she gets called by the principal, now can she? If her parents found out…

No. They couldn't and they wouldn't. She didn't do anything wrong. 

Pacifica walks towards the principal's office, head held as high as ever and she ignores all the looks everyone's giving her. She'll be okay. 

A twist of the doorknob and she can already feel the tension and stillness in the air. It's nerve-wracking. 

And it's even worse when she sees who's inside. Well, it isn't the principal. She's sure of that, but not of anything else at the given moment. 

There are two old men, one sitting at on the chair and the other standing while leaning on the desk. They even look kind of alike, with the exception of a few features. She wonders if they're twins. 

"Pacifica Northwest," one of them — the one standing up — says. His fingers toy with a small thing in his hands and she notices he has six fingers. Weird, but kinda cool. "I'm Agent Stanford, but you may call be Ford. My brother over there," he points to the guy sitting, who leans back and crosses his arms, "is Agent Stanley."

"Stan," the other one corrects. He looks a lot more laid back than the other guy, more relaxed. "I can introduce myself, Sixer."

They're definitely twins.

Pacifica nods. "Uh huh. Look, I don't know why you're here, and frankly, I don't care. Now, where is Principal Cutebiker?"

"He's not here today," Stan tells her, his voice gruff. "And we need to talk to you."

"Yes, it's something very important. You see—"

"Hey, Poindexter, you told me I could explain!" Stan exclaims, throwing his hands up in the air. Ford just shakes his head and urges his brother to start speaking. It's quite amusing. 

"Listen up, kid. I'm gonna ask you something really important, and you gotta give it to me straight, alright? No tricks, I've had enough of that for a lifetime," he glares at Ford. Turning his attention back to her, he says in a low voice, "Is this yours?"

He brings out a necklace, and with closer inspection, Pacifica realizes that it's _hers_. 

"My locket! Mabel was supposed to give it back—" she stops, her eyes narrowing. "Give. It. Back." She starts to walk forward, her hand outstretched to grab her necklace. 

"Woah, slow down, Northwest," Stan says, placing the necklace behind his back. She clenches her fists. 

"Give it back or—" 

"Or what? You'll tell your parents? The only explanation you'll actually have to give them is how _you_ lost it. That's not gonna be good for you, now is it?" Stan threatens, grinning. 

She sighs irritably. "What do you want to know?"

Ford clears his throat, shooting a look at his brother. He holds his hands up in defense. "Pacifica, we'd like to know how you got the necklace."

She shrugs. "I've been wearing it my whole life. It's always been with me."

Ford raises his eyebrow. "And are you sure you didn't," his voice lowers, "I don't know, _steal_ it?"

Pacifica gasps. "Excuse _me_? You don't think I'm telling the truth, do you? You think I'm just like my parents! Well, newsflash — I'm _not_!"

Ford takes a step forward. "We didn't mean to insult you or anything. But the necklace—"

"You don't think I'm the rightful owner," she states, watching their expressions. They both stay blank. 

Stan sighs after a moment. "Would you just let my brother finish? Yeah, I know he's annoying, but let's just get this over with, okay?" he says without missing a beat. 

"Fine," she says. "But I didn't steal it."

"It's not that. It's just…" he pauses and glances an unsure look toward his twin. "That locket has the secret insignia of the royal family." 

Stan opens the locket and points to the small symbol. 

"You mean the llama? Isn't that a little stupid? Freaky, even?" she asks, and he nods. Before they can say anything else, she adds, "And for the last time, I didn't steal it."

"I'm sorry for accusing you for such a thing, but that doesn't matter anymore. The thing is, there's an inscription on the llama. I was able to decode it, and it says your name on it."

"Pacifica?" she asks. She has a feeling she won't like where this is going. "Anyone could have that name!"

"No, _Elise_ ," Stan says. "Believe it or not, kid, but that was the name of the princess. This means that you're—"

Pacifica knew all about how the heir to the throne and his wife and child had died in a car crash sixteen years ago on the way home from the hospital. The baby was just born, so no one knew the name yet. But they had died, she couldn't be—

"The princess," she states, feeling like all life's sucked out of her. She chokes out, "I-I can't be. Anyone could be named Elise!"

"Yes, but the locket has a special magical force to it. Some sort of incantation wherein only the rightful owner can wear it and take it off. If anyone else tried, they'd be zapped. That, or placed in a different dimension." He shudders, but continues to stare at her. 

She doesn't know what else to do — she can't be the princess — so she does what she does best. She talks her way out of it. 

"You don't expect me to believe you, right?" she tells them, her eyebrows raised. "I mean, you guys gotta admit, it's all pretty stupid. Kinda like you two, I suppose."

"Why, you little—" Stan starts saying, but he's shushed by his brother. 

"Pacifica, you don't understand. You are the princess," Ford tells her, exasperated. 

She rolls her eyes. She just keeps hoping that if she keeps avoiding the main problem, it won't be true. "What? You expect me to believe a six-fingered freak like you?"

He clenched his fists while his brother stands up. It's Stan who talks this time. "Listen here, you little brat. I don't know whether you just can't accept the truth or whether you're just like your parents, but—"

The words hit a nerve. Without meaning to, her eyes narrow and she spits out. " _I'm not like them_."

Stan smiles smugly. "Knew you had it in ya, Northwest. Figured I could make you crack by mentioning those stinkin' parents of yours."

Pacifica addresses the problem at hand. Okay, so she can't be the princess but she is, anyway. What does she do now?

Stan walks over to her and places a hand on her shoulder. "Not a lot of people know, but King Befufftlefumpter is dying. The man needs an heir, and you're the only one who's alive. We were instructed to look for any heir, and it was pure luck that we found you. Everyone thinks the princess is dead."

"Can't you find another one? I can't be the princess."

"Believe me, kid, we've tried. Besides, you've got me to teach you how being a princess works! It's gonna be fun," he tries to cheer her up. "And you don't have to take the crown yet, anyway. We'll wait till you're ready."

"Well, that's never gonna happen," she tells him. Then a thought occurs to her. "Wait. If I'm the princess, does that mean that my parents aren't really my parents?"

Ford rubs the back of his neck. With hesitancy, he replies, "Yes."

"Do they know?" she asks, her eyes widening. Why didn't they ever tell her? A question lingers in her mind, one she could never dare say out loud — are her parents that selfish?

Stan nods. "Northwest, I think you need to sit down." She sits down on one of the chairs, her knees shaking. 

He flashes a worried glance at his brother before tinting to look at her again. "Did they ever tell you anything?"

Slowly, she shakes her head. "Nothing."

"Okay, listen up. Ford over here did a bit of research, and well, your parents aren't exactly who you think they are. Do you know anything about your family's past before you guys were rich?"

She shakes her head again. "They never talk about it." _All they ever tell me is to sit still and look pretty._

It's Ford who tells her the rest. "Your parents made a deal with a dream demon; one that should never be summoned in the first place. Names have power, and I don't think it's best we mention his name in a place so unprotected. He gave them money and riches if they would take you in. You see, he wanted to take over the world, and this kingdom — it attracted him. He thought he'd start here. So he got rid of your parents, since they were the next in line for the throne. But your locket, it prevented him from doing the same—"

"And so he made a deal, blah blah blah, you get the rest. They took you in for money. And they've lied to you ever since," Stan interrupts. "Guess it kinda makes sense how you're a blonde, huh?"

She doesn't laugh. 

It's at that very moment when Pacifica realizes that her parents are even worse than she thought they are. They aren't just liars — they're power-hungry people who don't deserve all the money they have. 

But there's a difference between them and her and it's because she isn't like them. She's going to be the exact of opposite: a good person. 

"I'll do it," she says with finality and conviction. Stan and Ford share glances. "I'll be the princess."

Stan stares at her for a moment. Finally, he says, his voice a little concerned. "You sure about this? I know it's a lot to take in—"

"I'll do it," she repeats. "I'm not like my parents, okay? I'm going to be better than them. My family name is broken, and I'm going to fix it."

Stan looks at Ford. He grins. "You see, I like this kid. She's doing it out of spite."

Pacifica manages a weak smile. Her stomach still feels sick, though. 

"Alright," Ford agrees. "Practices are at the castle starting summer vacation, which is next week. You can't tell anyone, not even your parents that you know of this. We're still finding a way to expose them _properly_ ," he shoots a pointed look at Stan. "Don't be late, we'll meet you by the bridge."

Pacifica nods. She can do this. 

"You've got a lot to learn, Northwest," Stan tells her, standing next to his brother. 

She grins. "I think I'll manage."

* * *

Initially, she thought that keeping her mouth shut about the whole princess thing wouldn't be too hard, but you know what? It's an absolute struggle. Sure, she's kept secrets before — her family's a bunch of liars, she's forced to do things because of a bell — but none of them don't really seem as big as the one now. 

And it terrifies her. 

It's a little hard to lie to the Pines twins. She learns this when she comes back from the principal's obvious, her brain buzzing with new-found determination and confusion about everything she's ever known. They meet her during lunch — well, it's mostly Mabel who speaks, her curiosity getting the better of her — and they fire one question after another. Dipper mostly keeps to himself, eyeing her with suspicion. 

It's the first day of summer and her eyes focus on the bridge feet ahead, where she's supposed to meet the other pair of twins she knows. 

Sweat trickles down her neck as she keeps walking, her hair tied in a ponytail and her clothes are the plainest she has. Mostly just to piss off her parents, really. 

She's even figured out some motivational things to think about when she doesn't even feel like a princess.

**MOTIVATION:**

1\. Do it out of spite. Piss off her parents. _Do it._  
2\. She's so much better than her parents.  
3\. There's a family name that needs fixing, and no one else is going to try except her.  
4\. Spite.

There's a satisfied smile hanging on her lips as she steps on the cemented bridge. No one else but her is there. She hopes no one sees her, since it's a little weird to see a Northwest standing on the bridge alone, a little nervous. 

There's the sound of feet scuffling a couple of moments later and there's a man in a black suit with a red bow, wearing a red fez with some weird symbol on it. 

He looks at her, and Pacifica recognizes him as Stan. "Hey, kiddo," he smiles at her a little. It widens. "You ready for your first day of princess-training?"

She stares. "Do we have to call it that? It sounds a little…plain."

"I told Sixer the same thing!" Stan exclaims, walking towards her. He puts a hand on her shoulder and she flinches at the contact. He immediately lets go. "Sorry, kid. I usually do that with my niece and kinda got carried away…"

"It's fine," she reassures. "Really."

He smiles a little, then looks toward the castle up ahead. "Let's get going before Ford decides to kill me."

She nods, her eyes scanning the one place of town she'd never been to before. 

The castle's made out of brick, with towers and flags and a large wooden gate. There's a stable at the far left, but you wouldn't really notice until you looked closely. Guards line up in front of the gates, standing perfectly still. 

For the first time in her life, Pacifica's scared. Her heart beats loudly in her chest and her fingers are numb. She breathes in. 

"You okay, Northwest?" Stan asks. She nods. He gestures her to follow him to the right side of the castle. "We're taking a back entrance; we'll cause less attention that way."

That's what they do. No one takes a second glance at the old man and small girl that walk through the kitchen. Her eyes wander around the room, trying to take in everything; it's not much, but she knows she's getting closer to the main part of the castle when the bricks go away and the walls turn into marble. 

"Woah," she allows herself to say. It's even better than the Manor. Yeah, they have peacocks and portraits on every wall and silver carpet patterns, but nothing can compare to this. 

Like the movies, there's a throne in the center of the room, red and gold in the light. The king isn't there, and she isn't really surprised because sick people ought to be in bed. There's a huge, shining chandelier on top and it sparkles so brightly, she has to look away. Two staircases are put at the sides of the throne, with a big door at the top. She wonders if that's where the king is. There are a few guards here and there, and Pacifica wonders if they ever get breaks. The ones back at home never do. 

"Close your mouth, it doesn't look very princess-like," Stan interrupts her thoughts. He smirks. "Northwest, you're gonna have to get used to all this, ya know."

Pacifica doesn't say anything, instead her cheeks flush and she stares at the ground. 

"Come on, you'll be meeting your bodyguard and lady-in-waiting first before we start your first lesson," he informs her. He leads her to a door after two right turns down a hallway. 

"Bodyguard? Lady-in-waiting?" she asks, feeling her stomach twist. She should be used to this, maids and bodyguards, but somehow it makes the whole princess thing seem a little more real. "That's cool, I guess."

He chuckles, stopping in front of a white door with a blue and pink patterns. "Ready to meet them? I think you're in for a real treat."

Then Stan opens the door and _holy shit_ , it suddenly makes sense that he has a twin brother and how they even got her locket in the first place.

Because standing right in front of her — well, not really in front of her, since they seem to be in the middle of some handshake, so they're not really looking at her — are Dipper and Mabel Pines. 

They stop whatever they're doing and stare at her, eyes widened and mouths open. 

"Pacifica? You're the princess?" Mabel asks, a smile forming on her face. "I knew you were special!"

"Out of all people…" Dipper mutters, eyes rolling. "It just had to be you, didn't it?"

She glares at Stan. " _They're_ supposed to protect and serve me? Seriously?"

He holds up his hands. "Wasn't my idea. If it was up to me, I wouldn't put these two in any place where they could be harmed—"

"We can protect ourselves, Grunkle Stan," Dipper reminds him, but is dismissed by a simple hand wave. 

"Grunkle?" she asks, looking between the twins and Stan. "I mean, I figured you guys were all related, but what the heck is Grunkle?"

"He's our great uncle!" Mabel answers cheerfully, walking towards Pacifica. She wraps her arms around her. "My best friend's a princess! A _princess_! Can you believe it?"

Dipper sighs. "Not one bit."

"Alright, alright, no need to be rude, Dipper. She's royalty now, and it's your job to protect her at all costs." Stan throws an arm around his nephew. 

"Why do I even need a bodyguard?" she asks, glaring at Dipper, who simply crosses his arms. "I can protect myself, you know." 

"Ah, about that," a new voice comes through a curtain — one she definitely didn't notice before — and reveals Ford Pines. He smiles at her. "There may come a time when you'll need someone else to defend you, someone a little more knowledgable when it comes to the supernatural." Across her, she can see the small, but proud smile on Dipper's face. 

She huffs. "Really?"

He stops walking and says in a low voice, "There are creatures out there that may want to harm you. While you're in here, you're safe, since the castle has layers of protective magic. But once you step outside—" He slides a finger across his neck. "And we — Stan and I — thought it would be much easier if our niece and nephew were to protect you. We've been teaching them all we know for the past four years, and the fact that you're in the same school will make things much easier."

She understands (well, not really), but rolls her eyes anyway. Who would want to harm her? It's not like everyone knew she's the princess. 

Stan checks his (non-existent, she notes) watch and starts clapping. "Alright, it's show time! First lesson of being a princess: know your kingdom's history."

Pacifica groans, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear. "But that's boring."

"Yeah, Grunkle Stan! History's boring," Mabel adds, placing a hand dramatically on her forehead. 

"Sweetie, you know me. Am I going to bore myself to death by teaching the princess a history lesson? Of course not! But am I going to watch her suffer through the lesson? Absolutely!" Stan grins, rubbing his hands together. He brings out an old tape. "This black-and-white video's got all ya need to know, so I don't have to teach you!"

"Well, it's such a great day to not be the princess, isn't it? If you need me, I'll be over there reading," Dipper says, rubbing his luck in her face. He starts to walk away when Stan grabs his arm. 

"Not so fast, buddy boy. Since it's your job to protect her, you need to stay with her at all times. Same goes with your sister, except she's gotta serve her." Stan puts an arm over his shoulder. "Plus, you know what's better than watching one child suffer through a history lesson?"

Dipper shakes his head. "I don't think I want to know."

"Three children suffering through it together!" Stan adds, ignoring his nephew's comment. He shoves the three teens through the curtain that Ford had came out of — who doesn't even try to argue with his brother about the whole arrangement, instead just shakes his head in amusement — and makes them sit down on a couch. 

In front of the couch is a large TV screen, which is even bigger than the one she has at home — _wow_. For some odd reason, there's a tape player and Stan pits the tape in and the video starts playing. 

"Aww, black-and-white!" Mabel whines, huffing and crossing her arms. 

"Mabel, shush, I'm trying to read," Dipper returns. 

Stuck between the Pines twins, Pacifica doesn't need to assume that this might as well be the longest history video of her life.

* * *

After six hours of watching about some eight-and-a-half jester of another kingdom who founded Gravity Falls, pretty much all her ancestors, three cookie incidents, eight murders, twenty-four accusations, and about five hundred laws, Pacifica is about to give up on being a princess. And it's only her first day. 

She groans, dragging her feet as she walks home. Her feet are killing her, but it's the only way home. Besides, a little exercise never hurt. 

Today has been exhausting. Stuck between mumblings about capers and oinks from a pig, Pacifica learns a valuable lesson: never sit in the middle of Dipper and Mabel Pines. 

And suddenly there's a squeaking of tires coming from behind her and she turns around, seeing a red car stop right next to her. 

A window rolls down to reveal the brace-filled smile of Mabel. "Hey, Pacifica! Need a ride? We were just heading to the movies and your Manor is on the way!"

Pacifica shakes her head. "No, thank you. I've had enough with your family for an entire lifetime."

The driver's window rolls down. "You're still showing up tomorrow for class, no exceptions," Stan tells her, raising an eyebrow. 

She sighs. "Don't you have a movie to get to? You don't want to be late. Pacifica hopes that they leave. She'd rather walk home. At least that way, if her parents saw, the wouldn't know. 

"Come on! It's just a short ride," Mabel says, smiling brightly. 

Next to her, Dipper speaks up, not once looking up from his book. "We'll even drop you a block away from the Manor, if you're afraid of your parents seeing you. Or if you're afraid of being seen with us."

She knows for sure that he doesn't know her as well as he thinks he does. 

She takes one last glance at the road, before walking towards he car. "Fine," she grumbles. "But only because you guys aren't going to leave me alone."

Mabel gets out of the car to let her in, and it's in that moment that Pacifica already regrets her decision. Stuck between the twins again, she sighs. 

"And we're off!" Stan exclaims, pushing the pedal. He starts singing some song about taking over the night (or is it midnight? she's not sure), who at some point is shushed by Ford. Pacifica stares out the window, as Mabel works with her scrapbook and Dipper continues to read. 

The Manor's in view a little later and she stares at its obvious emptiness, and there's a hollow feeling inside her stomach. A chill goes down her spine, and she has a feeling that now isn't the best time to go in. Suddenly, she doesn't want to go in. 

Closing her eyes, she makes another (stupid) decision that she'll (probably) end up regretting later. "On second thought, is it fine if I go to the movies with you guys? I'll even pay for my own ticket!"

There's a chuckle from Stan, a nod from Ford, a scream from Mabel, and a quick glance from Dipper. She thinks they say yes. 

And they drive away from the Manor, the feeling in her stomach going away a little after.

* * *

"Well, that was a horrible movie," Pacifica comments as the exit the cinema. Her arms are crossed on her chest. "What a waste of money."

" _Excuse me_?" Dipper says loudly, suddenly appearing before her. "Did I hear correctly? Did you say that the movie was bad?"

"Horrible," she corrects, raising an eyebrow. "An absolute waste of my time and money."

"Are you joking or did we even watch the same movie? It was great! There was a great plot line — well, it could've had a bit more depth to the characters — and the effects were pretty realistic, if you ask me and I've seen some things. It was a great movie! How could you not have liked it?"

"How could you like it?" she huffs. "All the _only_ female character ever did was sit still and look pretty! Plus, she was emotionally abused by her parents, but you couldn't even tell because she didn't act like it! It was forced, Pines."

The rest of the Pines family ignores their argument, instead walking to the car in peace with the exception of the two teens. She gets stuck in the middle of the twins again. 

"You're only talking about one character, Pacifica! _One!_ That doesn't justify the entire movie — and like I said, yeah, the character's could've had more depth to them! You never listen!"

"Yeah? Well, I'm all ears now, Dipper! Now, tell me, how the heck do you like that shitty excuse of a movie?" she retorts, rolling her eyes. Dipper, for once, is too focused on the argument to care about his book. 

"Language!" Stan exclaims, looking at her through the rear view mirror. "As much as I do it, a princess shouldn't do it out in public, ya got that?"

She ignores him, and glares at Dipper. "Well? I'm _waiting_."

He sighs irritably. "Compared to all the other movies? That one's great. There's a lesson, a deep one at that, and there's a little flare of humor even when most of it is serious. It talks about serious problems like the emotionally abused kid — about what you said, I think that can be considered as a flaw, but all movies have one, you know — and a buttload of other stuff. It's a great movie."

The car comes to a halt before she can reply. Dipper opens the door and steps out to give her way. Eyeing a phone in his pocket, she snatched it from him before he can argue. She types in her number. 

"Wha—" he tries to take his phone back, but with no luck. 

She hands it back to him. "I am _not_ going down without a fight, Pines. Not today."

With a satisfied smirk, she leaves, not once looking back at the dumbstruck boy she left in her wake. The doors close and she hears the roar of an engine. Pacifica shakes her head. 

That movie was horrible, and there was nothing that could change her mind about that.

* * *

  
**FROM: UNKNOWN NUMBER**

You're the worst.

* * *

**UNKNOWN NUMBER**

→ Add to contacts?

→ YES

ENTER NEW CONTACT’S NAME: Dipper

DIPPER was added to your contacts.

**TO: DIPPER**

right back at you, pines

* * *

Her parents don't ask where she went (thank god), so she's able to slip away into bed without any inconveniences. With her luck, she knows it won't be long until she starts raising suspicions. 

Dipper looks like death incarnate when she comes to the castle the next day, and Mabel looks like she just drank five shots of Mabel Juice. Or more. 

When she asks why, they don't reply, instead telling her to get on with her lesson. The look of guilt of Mabel's face doesn't go unnoticed. 

Stan looks extremely tired, too, along with his brother. Pacifica decides not to ask — their business was their business. If they told her, then whatever. 

"Second lesson: proper etiquette and posture. Northwest, I'm guessing you already have this all done, with your parents being your parents and all those parties you throw. So, there's going to be a little mix," Ford tells her slowly, yawning a little. "That's where Stan comes in."

His brother takes the stage with a cup of coffee in hand. "Kid, my brother and I will be doing some… _things_ today, so the kids will be in charge of making sure you keep up what you're supposed to do."

She raises an eyebrow. "Which is _what_ , exactly?"

It's Dipper who speaks up. "Impatience isn't a good look on you, Northwest."

Pacifica simply rolls her eyes. "And desperation for attention isn't a good one on you, either."

"I think love looks great on both of you!" Mabel exclaims, pushing her brother, who ends up bumping her shoulder. His ears turn a little pink at the contact, but she pretends not to notice…just to prevent Mabel from further reading. 

(At least that's what she tells herself. Because really, that stupid blush of his meant nothing.)

"Yeah, yeah, yeah," Stan interrupts. "You can continue your romance after the lesson."

Pacifica rolls her eyes, and takes a step away from the boy. "What do I have to do?"

Stan points to a stack of books on the nearby table. "Balance that on your head while you answer this," he brings out a piece of paper out of his coat (she wonders how it fit). "I hope you listened to the video yesterday."

She groans internally, knowing she'll have to wing it. Plus, with all the books on her head? It's gonna be a struggle. 

"Well," he hands her the paper — to no surprise, it's on an old receipt and slightly crumpled. "Good luck."

Ford nods one last time and the older twins are out the door before she can ask when they'll be back. 

"Do I really need to do this?" she asks, staring at the questions. 

"Yup!" Mabel says, carrying the stack of books and placing them in her head. 

"Ow!" she exclaims as the books fall around her. She starts picking them. Once she collects them, she places them on her head one by one. "You don't put them all at once, you know."

"Sorry about that," Mabel says. "Remember, you gotta keep them on your head the entire time."

"Doubt you'll be able to do it," Dipper mutters, but it's loud enough for her to hear. 

"I _so_ can!" she tells him, placing the last book on her head. "I've done way more than five before."

Dipper just rolls his eyes, but puts his book down. "Five dollars it'll all fall before you even finish that test."

" _Twenty_ dollars," she counters, eyes narrowing, "that I'll be able to finish this test with all the books still perfectly aligned."

He smirks. "You're on."

And so it begins. 

She's careful as she walks over to a chair, grabbing a pen and laying the receipt down. She holds it up to read the questions. Every time she needs to write down an answer, she would put it down and write, being careful at all times. 

Most of the questions are about the present monarchy, who's who and how things work, so she's all good. There's one question she can't answer, though. 

**8\. Name one family that might be cheating their way to the top.**

She bites her lip as she writes down her answer, careful not to make any of the books fall. 

_The Northwests._

"Done!" she exclaims, taking the books from her head and settling them on the table. 

Both twins look up, one grinning and the other frowning. 

"Pay up, Pines," the blonde tells Dipper, holding her hand out. He grumbles as he fishes a twenty dollar bill from his pocket. 

She only flashes him a smile.

* * *

It's an hour later and when Pacifica musters up the courage to ask where the Stans went. Mabel only shrugs and Dipper raises an eyebrow. Guess that's no, then. 

They come back five minutes before she leaves, both with dark circles under their eyes. There's a frightened look underneath all the yawning, and she doesn't know how she knows that but she does. 

"Are you…okay?" she asks with caution. She hands him the test. "I finished this an hour ago."

Stan gives her a thumbs up. "I'll tell you how I did tomorrow, but right now, I need a long nap. And maybe some ice cream. I even had to drag ol' Sixer over here just so he could get a break."

Ford sighs. "Sorry for missing out today, kid. We just had some stuff to take care of."

"Like what?" She doesn't hesitate this time. 

"Yeah, like what, Grunkle Ford? Will you show us?" Mabel asks, coming over with her scrapbook. 

Dipper perks up. "You told us you'd show us everything you discovered."

Ford glances wearily at Pacifica, and she knows that it's her cue to leave. She knows when she's not welcome. 

She raises her hands in defense. Quietly, she says, "I'll just let myself out. See you tomorrow."

And she's gone before anyone can argue.

* * *

Pacifica knows her luck is up when her parents ask where she's been. She freezes and slowly turns around, ready for a lie to slip out of her mouth. 

She can't say she was at the mall. No, she's used that excuse a hundred times. How about the park? Her parents didn't like it there. The library? Maybe. They'd rather she focused on looks rather than intellect. At a friend's? No, too risky. She starts panicking. Where was she today—

"Pacifica?" her mother asks. "You haven't answered our question."

"The movies!" she blurts out. "I was at the movies today, on a marathon."

Her mother shakes her head. "You need more exposure to light and those movies will give you a headache. We'll let this one slide, just make sure you keep your reputation."

"Yes, mother," she replies automatically. She leaves before they can say anything else. 

Pacifica needs more excuses.

* * *

The next day's lesson focuses on how to act in front of big crowds (something she's already done multiple times), how she can put one finger up and the paparazzi will leave her alone (awesome), and how to eat properly (which is just an excuse for the entire Pines family to eat ice cream all day).

"Keep those elbows up, Northwest!" Stan exclaims as she lifts her elbows and takes another spoonful of ice cream from her own tub. It's wonderfully chocolate and strawberry, and Pacifica doesn't remember that last time she ate ice cream. The best part is that she knows her parents wouldn't approve. 

They spend the rest of the day that way, all huddled around the TV screen, watching movies ranging from old to new ones. She's never done this before…and well, it feels nice. So this is what a family feels like, huh?

(She tells herself not to be envious and just to cherish the moment as it comes.)

(It doesn't help.)

She feels strangely safe at the castle, even when it's big and there are a lot of doors that lead to places she didn't know yet. It feels a lot more like home than the Manor does. So she stays. 

She stays as long as she can, putting off every excuse that she can find that will make her go back. She doesn't want to go back. She wants to stay in that moment forever, even when she feels like she's intruding a family bonding moment and even when she knows she doesn't belong. She doesn't know these people. She shouldn't stay — but she does. 

And no one says anything.

* * *

Hell takes its toll on her when she's eating alone during dinner. The table starts rattling and the plates start floating. Pacifica screams, getting out of her seat when she hears a roar. She backs up against the wall and a knife comes flying, nearly missing her by an inch. 

She screams again and runs. Runs and runs and runs and runs. She runs until she finds a nook and cranny she can hide in. There's a distant sound of footsteps and she shudders. Her heart races in her chest and she can't keep herself from shaking. 

Fishing her phone out, she quickly searches for his contact and calls him. Shaking, she immediately starts talking when he answers. 

"I need your help."

There's a dry response, and if it isn't for the creature lurking around her house, she would've wanted to strangle him. 

"With what?" 

She whispers the next word — that _thing_ could find her any second. 

"Ghosts."

* * *

"Pacifica! Get down!" Dipper shouts at her as another knife comes flying towards her. She ducks in time, breathing quickly. 

"This way!" she tells him as they found a corner. 

"Silver mirror," Dipper mutters. "Do you have any silver mirrors?"

She doesn't reply because he's already spotted one — but it's one she won't let him have. 

"No!" she exclaims, pushing him to the side before he can enter the room. "That room has my parents' favorite carpet pattern! They'll kill me if we track mud in there!"

"Pacifica, now isn't the time for this!" he exclaims, trying to get past her. "We need that silver mirror!"

"We'll find another one! Please!" she tries saying — _begging_ — as she pushes him. "I can't—"

"Do you want to die?" he screams, pushing her with all his strength, making her fall over. She lands badly. "Shit! Pacifica, I'm sorry!"

There's pain in her back from the fall, but she forces herself up anyway. "Please don't go in there!"

The lumberjack ghost — well, he looked like a lumberjack — howls from behind them and his eyes widen. But before he can step into the room to grab the mirror, he hesitates. Looking back at her, he shakes his head. 

Dipper puts her arm over his shoulder. She winces a little from the pain. His eyes soften from a brief moment. 

"If we die tonight, I'm going to kill you," but there's an easy-going smile to his words, and all Pacifica can do is roll her eyes and smile as they run towards the nearest silver mirror. 

They find it, and Dipper makes her hide under the table. (Like that will help the ghost from seeing her.)

He leaves the room and there's shuffling of feet and talking and shouting and a cry of terror — which doesn't belong to Dipper, thank god — and the door opens with a creak. 

Heart hammering in her chest, Pacifica waits a little to see who it is, with nothing to defend herself. A mop of brown hair catches her view and Pacifica runs from under the table to hug the boy who may have just saved her life. 

Once she realizes what she's doing — why is she so stupid sometimes? — she lets go. His cheeks are as red as hers, and his eyes don't meet her gaze. It doesn't surprise her. 

"Um, thank you, I guess," she mumbles, eyes downcast. 

"I'm your bodyguard, it's kinda my job," he offers her a small smile as he places the mirror inside his bag. She returns it. 

They walk outside to the living room, both silent. She doesn't know what else to say. 

"How's your back?" he asks quietly when he sees her limp a little. 

She waves him off. "It's fine, don't worry."

After that is more silence. Pacifica feels like she should say something, but she doesn't. She doesn't need to. Not now. Not when her blood runs cold when she sees a small object not to far from her resting on a table. She clenched her fists, hoping he won't notice. But she can't stop staring at it. 

Dipper catches her staring at something, and he walks forward to grab it. She wants to scream, tell him to stop, to break it. 

_Please don't ring it_ , she whispers in her mind. _Please._

He does. The sound doesn't leave her ears and Pacifica shuts her eyes, trying to keep her breathing steady. It rings and rings and rings. She wants it to go away. She stays rooted to her spot, suddenly unable to move — not until the ringing goes away. 

"Pacifica?" the boy calls out, and her eyes flutter open. (The ringing is still there.) "Are you okay?"

She doesn't say anything. 

He walks over to her, bell still clutched in hand. Pacifica backs away, fear running through her eyes. 

Dipper stops immediately. He follows her gaze on the bell and immediately realized what's wrong. He puts it down. "Sorry, I didn't—"

"You couldn't have," she interrupts, focusing on his eyes — they're easier to look at than the bell. 

He takes another step forward, hesitating a little. "Pacifica…the ghost told me some things before I trapped it."

Another step. "Your parents are frauds. They're liars and selfish people. They care too much about reputation and care too little about the world around them. And for a while, I thought you were like them. Another link in the world's worst chain." He tries putting a hand on her arm, but she pulls away. "But you're not. I know that now. That's why you're doing all these princess lessons. So you can turn out differently."

Pacifica doesn't meet his eyes, and she knows that he knows that he's aimed at the right spot. What does he want from her?

"Pacifica, just because you're your parents' daughter doesn't mean you have to be like them," he tells her. She looks up to look at him and smiles a bit. "It's not too late."

When Pacifica hugs him again, she doesn't pull away as fast. Because this time, it isn't an impulse.

* * *

Things are a little easier after that. There's a new mutual respect coming from both her and Dipper, and maybe she's okay with that. It's not too bad. 

He thinks she doesn't know — she totally does — but she's not dumb enough to not notice that all the bells in the castle are gone, even the ones that the king uses to call servants. She's grateful. 

"I know why you didn't like the movie now," he tells her one day after a defense and offense fighting lesson with Stan (which she totally rocks at, by the way, since she's been taking lessons since she was eight). "You don't like it because they portrayed Emily as emotionally abused by her parents, but there weren't any consequences. Instead, she lived her life like it never happened. And not only do you think it's unrealistic, but you want it too."

"You've really thought about it, haven't you?" she asks, arms crossed. 

He nods sheepishly. "It's not anything compared to _Ghost Harassers_ , but it's a pretty good movie. But I guess you can't really compare the two, since one of them is a TV show—"

" _Ghost Harassers_?" she asks him with one eyebrow raised. "What is that? Some stupid ghost hunting show?"

 _Here we go again_ , she thinks. 

"First of all, it's not stupid — wait, you know what? I'm not going to tell you about it. I'm going to _show_ it to you," Dipper says with satisfaction before grabbing her hand and dragging her to the room behind the curtain. He check the time on the clock. "Ha! Just in time. They're supposed to be showing a marathon of all the episodes in about five minutes."

"Are we really doing this?" Pacifica groans. "This is stupid and you know I'm not going to like it."

There's a mischievous grin on his face. "Oh, you will, Pacifica Northwest. You will."

That's when the theme song plays and she knows she's in for a ride. It's not like she's going to get interested in it or anything. 

(Screw it, her only hope of getting out of this is Mabel and she isn't here.)

"By the way, thanks for removing all the bells in the castle," she says, not once looking at him. 

"I didn't—"

"I'm not dumb, Dipper," she says. Before he can say anything else, she adds, "Now, shush, it's starting."

Out of the corner of her eye, she can see that his face is more red that the tomato they're showing on the screen.

* * *

**TO: DIPPER**

you were right. it's a good show.

* * *

She's angry. 

Furious. Enraged. Fuming. All of those synonyms. 

Her father — her mother — both of them, really — had asked her to do the impossible. And there is no way in hell she's going to do it. 

Filled with rage, Pacifica screams into the empty house, knowing her parents are long gone and too caught up into their pathetic lives to care about their daughter. Her fists are balled, and she screams. 

The thunder and lighting screams along with her — to both her parents and the entire world. It's a frightening sight to any outsider. 

The rain pours down on the world with all the ferocity it has, and that's when Pacifica thinks — _wouldn't it be a shame if the windows were open and all the rain got in?_

She grins like mad when she pulls out her phone and calls up the one person who understands how much she hates her parents. 

Dipper comes along, grumbling how it's raining and he can't just walk there (but he does anyway, that's how he's here). He's cautious about tracking mud into the house, but Pacifica tells him to let loose, which raises a question. 

"Are you sure?" he seems a little weary. "Are you…okay?"

Pacifica grins. "Never been better," she answers, putting both hands together. "I need your help."

"Don't you always?" he jokes, earning a shove. "That kinda hurt, you know — fuck, ow, you push hard."

"I need you to help me open all the windows," she tells him, still smiling maliciously. 

He looks confused. "But wouldn't that — _oh_ ," Dipper's eyes widen. "Remind me to never get on your bad side."

"You were pretty close once," she teases as they walk towards the nearest window. "There are about fifty-two in the entire house, and I figured I couldn't do it alone. Plus, we have to finish before the rain dies down."

"Yes, Your Highness," Dipper says with a new found determination as he helps her open the window. 

"Great," she smiles. "I'll do the second floor and the attic while you do the first floor."

He frowns. "Why do I have to do the first floor? You'll be able to open more windows that me."

Pacifica raises an eyebrow. "Who's idea was this?"

Dipper sighs. "Yours."

"And whose house is this?"

"Yours," he answers, but rolls his eyes anyway. 

"Right. I'll meet you back here in ten minutes," she instructs, but she's already on her way up the stairs. 

This is going to be good.

* * *

Pacifica remembers all the times that her parents told her not to step on puddles because they'd ruin her shoes. She ignores all those warnings as she runs down the halls and down the stairs. 

She laughs, tracking mud and water through her parents' favorite carpet pattern. 

"Paz!" Dipper calls out, jogging over with a smile. 

She stops laughing. "Paz?"

He just shrugs. "Pacifica's kinda long and — if you don't like it, I won't call you it anymore—"

"No, it's fine!" she interrupts. "I-I like it."

Dipper smiles and a little part of her heart flutters for an unknown reason (must be from all the laughing). He gestures to the floor. "You've made quite a mess."

" _We_ ," she corrects, a smile playing on her lips. "I don't want to take all the blame."

Dipper slides his foot along the floor, spreading mud. "What did they do anyway? To make you so angry? I mean, I know you hate them, but I never thought—"

"It's a long story," she quickly butts in. "Not a very good one, either."

Dipper walks over to the couch and sits down. He pats the space beside him. "I've got time. Mabel's over at Grenda's, anyway."

She sits down next to him, grabbing her secret stash of Pitt Cola hidden behind the couch. Pacifica passes him one. 

"Thanks," he tells her. 

She nods. "It's not cold, sorry."

Dipper smiles. "Doesn't matter. Now, tell me the story."

She flips her hair behind her back. "You happen to know Charlie Gardner? Snotty kid?" He shakes his head. "Yeah, well, he's been trying to ask me out. Except he's not really doing it in the most gentleman-like way." Pacifica takes a sip from her Cola. "He flirts with me like _all_ time. I was having a bad day one time, and well, the flirting just got a little too much. I told him that there was no way in fucking hell I was gonna go out with him. I told him that I wasn't a dumb blonde and that I didn't need him in my life. Then I punched him."

Dipper bursts out laughing. She smiles. 

"But it all goes downhill from there, I guess," she takes a sip, watching his smile fade. "My father got mad, rang that stupid bell of his, I couldn't say anything. Fast forward a month. The reason why I got so angry earlier was because they wanted me to take Charlie back. I said no. They said that if I didn't they would—" her voice breaks, growing softer. "They'd send me to boarding school."

"Oh," he says softly. 

Pacifica stares at her Pitt Cola, wishing it was cold. "They're surely gonna send me to boarding school after this," she tells him, looking at the mess. "I'll be lucky if the maids and butlers don't flat out tell them it was me."

"You could come over to the Mystery Shack," Dipper offers with a slight shrug. "Mabel wouldn't mind, and I don't think Grunkle Stan and Ford would, either."

Pacifica thinks about it. If she did stay at the Manor, her parents would kill her and she'd be sent off to boarding school (worst case scenario: the ringing of the bell would never leave her head). If she left, she would escape it. For a day, at least. 

"Sure," she says, standing up. "I'll just pack some clothes. Help yourself to some of the food, I guess. But don't get seen by the maids or butlers, okay?"

He only nods, humming in agreement. "Don't take too long or I might die of boredom!" he says as she leaves the room, laughing softly. 

She can't believe she's doing this.

* * *

_Ringing echoes through her mind repeatedly, constant and loud. There's nothing she can do to stop it — every constant breath and good thought only makes it worse._

_Yellow glows in the darkness of a dusty room filled with paintings of illegal deeds and manipulative liars. It shows her how she's no different from her ancestors. It's evil, what he's doing, stealing a precious thing from her. She only just found hope, and now — he's taking it away from her just for fun. A shiver runs down her spine. His maniacal laugh echoes across the room, and she shudders, not even knowing who it is. She only has a guess._

_But she's wrong._

_Because when she faces up to meet the dream demon that stole her parents from her, she sees something else entirely._

_There's a figure in front of her, one that keeps changing form. A yellow triangle with one eye. Then, her father with glowing yellow eyes. Her mother, with sharp teeth and an evil snarl. After that is Stan, then Ford, both laughing maniacally, sounding nothing like the laughs she hears on a regular basis. Then Mabel. And lastly—_

_Dipper._

_But it's not him. His eyes are two black slits, unlike the warm brown eyes she finds herself calming herself with when she needs peace. It's not him._

_"Well well well well well well," he says—how is he even talking? He doesn't seem to have a mouth. "If it isn't the lovely princess, Pacifica Northwest. Name's Bill Cipher. Figured using the body of Pine Tree last in your dream would shake you up. Guess I was right."_

It's a dream, it's just a dream, _she tells herself. She's not sure it's working._

_There's a very un-Dipper-like smile dancing on his lips and amusement in his eyes. She's horrified when she watches him reach into his pocket and take out a—_

_bell._

_He rings it, and Pacifica finds herself falling onto her knees, hands clamping around her ears. No, no, no, no!_

_"What do you want?" she cries out, tears forming in her eyes. He keeps ringing the bell._

_Bill-Dipper laughs one more time. "Well, if you really want to know. I want," his eyes glow red for a moment, "_ you _."_

_She screams one more time when he comes closer, and the fear alone, is enough to wake her up from her nightmare._

"…Pacifica!" Dipper shouts when she opens her eyes. She screams when she sees his face, backing away instantly. She feels embarrassed after realizing what she's done. Heat creeps on her cheeks…what has she done?

Dipper looks hurt and confused, his eyes soft. "Paz?"

The name brings her back into reality. She sits up better, wiping her eyes. 

"Oh, god, Dipper, I'm so sorry. I didn't mean to—" she tries to force the words out, breathing fast. 

"Scream?" he completes, still looking very hurt. 

"It wasn't you," she says. "In the dream, I mean. It was _him_."

It catches his attention. "Him?"

She says it in a whisper because Pacifica isn't dumb enough to not know that names have power. And she's still very much scared. "Bill Cipher."

Dipper's face grows darker. His eyes are widened as he stands up and wakes his sister up. It's a miracle how Mabel didn't wake up from her scream. He pours water over her face, and the effect happens instantly. 

"Dipper — hey! What was that for?" Mabel asks angrily. "I was having a perfectly good dream!"

"He's back," is all he says, and Mabel understands. She takes a scared glance at Pacifica, standing up and wiping the water from her face. 

"How?" she asks her brother. Dipper takes Pacifica's arm, helping her stand. Her legs keep shaking. 

"He came to her in a dream," Dipper exclaims. "We need to tell Stan and Ford — _now_."

With her entire body shaking, she tries to walk with the twins out the door. Dipper holds her hand all the way, squeezing it every now and then for comfort. Her eyes remain damp from the words that keep ringing in her head, along with the bell. They're like alarms, telling her that she should stay away from the demon. 

They find the Stans having a deep conversation in the living room and they look startled to see all three of them awake. 

"Kids?" Stan asks before his eyes land on Pacifica's frightened face. "Hot Belgian waffles — it was him, wasn't it?"

Pacifica nods grimly before she sits down on one of the empty chairs. Dipper doesn't let go of her hand. She's thankful. 

"What happened in the dream?" Ford asks her, eyes worried. 

_I want you._ "His laugh…he kept changing…his eyes…" she says softly. There's fear in her eyes, in the other members of the family. 

"Come on, Paz. He won't hurt you anymore. He can't, now that you're awake. I'll — _we'll_ protect you," Dipper says, squeezing her hand and smiling. 

Pacifica takes a deep breath. "I was in a room, and I saw him. He was a triangle at first. Then he changed. He became my father, except they weren't my dad's eyes. Then he was my mother. Then Stan. After that was Ford. Then Mabel," she takes a deep breath, avoiding Dipper's eyes, but she can tell he knows what she's going to say next. "He stayed as Dipper for the rest of the dream."

"Paz…" he mumbles. "I'm sorry."

"I'm sorry for screaming when I saw you. It's just—" she apologizes, but she stops when he squeezes her hand again. He understands. 

"He told me that he wanted me," she says. Pacifica looks up. "What does he want with me?"

"We're going to need to cast more protection spells around this place. And on you, Pacifica. You're not safe at the Manor anymore; we're going to have to tell your parents you know you're the princess. Then we'll have to put them in jail, I'm sorry." Ford adjusts his glasses. Looking at Dipper, he adds, "You need to be with her at all times. She's not safe anymore. And now that he knows…who knows what could happen."

She's still stuck on the first part. "What do you mean by you're going to put protection spells on me?"

It's Mabel who answers. "Don't worry, it's only simple, unnoticeable stuff like necklaces and rings. Your locket helps, but its protection isn't as strong as we hoped. That's why he was able to get to you. Maybe a small tattoo for good measure would help."

"Tattoo?" 

Dipper shows him a small mark of a pine tree on his shoulder. "It helps keep him away. We've all got one."

Stan shows a mark on his back, a weird purple mark and a symbol like the one on his fez. Mabel has a shooting star on her ankle. Ford has a six-fingered hand — ironically— on his wrist. 

"Okay," she agrees. If it'll keep her safe, then so be it. "It can't hurt that bad, right? Can you tell me more about him?"

"I think it's best if the kids tell ya," Stan says, standing up and bringing Ford along with him. Pacifica raises an eyebrow at this. 

Mabel sits down and so does Dipper. They both look tired. 

The boy sighs. "I was twelve and I was stupid. I made a bad deal and ended up losing my body for a week just so that I could find out who the author of the journals were." He points to the three red books on the table. "Bill ended up almost destroying not only the journals, but my body as well."

Mabel swallows. "I knew what was going on, but I trusted Dipper and thought it would all blow over. It didn't." She rubs her eyes. "Ford came through the portal and he found out about Bill. He taught us things, protections. They help."

"While he was out in different dimensions, Ford found out that Bill was waiting for the king to die to take over the kingdom. That's why we needed an heir — which is where you come in." Dipper doesn't look away from her when he speaks. "Grunkle Stan and Ford have been trying to keep Bill away ever since. They stay up late sometimes trying on different protection spells." She remembers the day they looked so tired. It makes sense. "And now that you've been found, we need to protect you and make sure Bill doesn't know you know. But now he does and you need to be kept safe at all times."

"I'll just get a tattoo, then. With protection spells. That will help, right?" she asks, holding her locket. "I'm guessing a symbol of a llama will work?"

"Are you sure? Once you get into this, you can't ever stop running," Dipper warns. "Even when you're queen, you'll still need to be protected."

Pacifica just smiles wearily. "I'm sixteen, I can handle a demon."

* * *

Pacifica stares at the tiny llama symbol at the back of her hand, right at the end of her thumb. It stares right back at her. She's not sure how the whole protection thing is supposed to work, but it's not like she's excited to find out. 

Stan and Ford decided that today's the day they would confront her parents, and eventually, take them to jail. She wishes she's more prepared. 

She watches from the sidelines as her parents are forced into a police car, shouting and arguing. They look at her and plead for help, desperate to fight their way out. 

"Pacifica, please! You're our daughter!" her mother shouts through the window, her voice muffled. 

Her eyes narrow. She remembers every moment she felt like she had corrupted lungs and every moment the words that came out of her were broken. They didn't deserve her sympathy. 

When she doesn't say anything to stop the car from leaving, she watches as the hope leaves their eyes. Her father tries to reach into his pocket through cuffed hands, a surprised expression when he can't find the bell. 

"Looking for this?" Dipper asks, waking forward to stand next to her. In his hand is the golden bell, the source of her torment. His other hand intertwines with hers, squeezing it. "You can't hurt her anymore."

Dipper drops the bell onto the ground, and Pacifica musters up the courage to raise her foot. Then, she crushes it, satisfied to hear a cracking sound. 

She remains quiet as rage fills her father's eyes and sadness takes over her mother. Pacifica can't bring herself to say anything. 

The engine roars to life and Preston and Prescilla Northwest are officially out of her life.

* * *

She doesn't live in the Manor anymore. After twelve different offers from the Pines family saying that she could move in with them, she finally agreed. She's feels safer. 

When she's asked if she wants to change her last name, she says no. Her duty fixing the name isn't finished yet. She has decades to make up for. 

And she's only just begun.

* * *

**FROM: DIPPER**

There's a Ghost Harassers marathon coming up in an hour. We also have ice cream. You know you're always welcome at the Shack, right?

**TO: DIPPER**

make sure it's vanilla.

* * *

The TV screen is enough to illuminate a small fraction of the room. Huddled under blankets and warmth, Pacifica sits on the floor, licking her vanilla ice cream. It's been a rough day. 

Thankfully, Stan gave her a day off from lessons, saying she already understood everything. From etiquette to fighting, she would be fine, having mastered most of the skills. 

But the princess thing doesn't seem to scare her as much as it used to. It's the dream demon that does. 

She's afraid to sleep, to even close her eyes for a second. Ever since last night, all she can think about is his laugh echoing through the walls. It sends shivers down her spine. 

"You okay?" Dipper's voice cuts through her thoughts. "You were shaking."

"Huh?" she says. "Oh. I-I'm fine. Just a little tired."

"You're thinking about him, aren't you?" he says worriedly, his fingers lacing with hers immediately. "I won't let him hurt you. Okay?"

"I'm not afraid of that," she mumbles. _I'm afraid of how he knows that you're one of my weaknesses. You gave me hope, and he knows how to use that against me_. "I don't want to sleep."

"The protection spells will work. Just don't make any deals with him, and you'll be fine. No deals," he says. 

She nods. "No deals."

* * *

She gets a nightmare, but it's not from the triangle. It's from something different. 

She's forever trapped in a room filled with angry ghosts, debts, and scams. They call her, get closer, axes and torches lit up, ready to kill her. There's no way out. She screams and screams and screams — but no one comes. 

It's Dipper who wakes her up again. He calms her and helps her feel better. He tells her stories and holds her. She feels so small, so vulnerable. But sometimes, it's not really a bad thing. 

"Stay," she whispers. "I think it's best if we both do."

* * *

The last day of summer comes quicker than anticipated, bringing along two important dates: the last day of her lessons and the Pines twins' birthday. 

Mabel, of course, had planned an entire party at the Shack for her and her brother's seventeenth birthday. She'd even gotten Pacifica to help. 

There's a chorus of off-tune singing and Mabel and Dipper look happier than she's ever seen them. A pile of gifts stand on the table behind them, and there's a five-layer cake (which Pacifica is guessing, has lots of glitter in it, and therefore, is toxic). 

"Happy birthday!" she says, hugging Mabel. "I can't believe you're older than me!"

"Well, you better believe it, sister," Mabel replies, grinning. "It's only two months!"

"Here," Pacifica hands over a perfectly-wrapped box. "I hope you like it."

"I'm sure I will!" the brunette says, taking the gifts. With a glint in her eye, she adds, "I'm more excited to see what you got Dipper anyway."

Pacifica's ears turn pink. "I—"

She pats her on the shoulder. "It's okay. I've always wanted my best friend and brother to be together."

The blonde lets out a breath. "Uh, thank you…?"

"Hey, pumpkin," Stan says, ruffling his niece's hair. "You sure know how to throw a party."

"I learned from the best." A grin spreads on Stan's face. 

"Well, I better get going," Pacifica says, smiling. "I've got another gift to give."

It's not very hard to find Dipper Pines in a party, that she soon learns when she finds him sitting alone on the roof of the Mystery Shack. 

"Hey, birthday boy," she says, watching him jump in surprise. "Shouldn't you be celebrating?"

"Pacifica, hey," he moves a little so she can sit down next to him. She doesn't. 

Instead, she offers him a hand. "It's your party, you know."

He takes it, standing up and giving her a warm smile. There's a little summersault in her heart. "Yeah, well, I just wanted to be alone for a while, you know?"

Pacifica shakes her head, smiling. "The purpose of a party is that so you don't have to be alone. You've got it all wrong. Besides, it's your birthday. Not anyone else's."

"Except Mabel," he adds. 

Nodding, she repeats. "Except Mabel. Speaking of which, I've already given her my gift. So it's your turn."

Dipper shrugs. "You're not holding anything."

Pacifica rolls her eyes. "Obviously."

"What is it, Paz?" he asks dryly. 

Like all cheesy movies, she replies, "It's this," before placing her lips on his. 

When she pulls away, cheeks flushed. She takes his hand. "You're at the world's greatest party, dummy. You don't want to miss it. Now, come on."

Fingers linked, she drags him to where the party is. There's loud music and people dancing. She smiles, turning to look at him again. He's grinning at her. 

"By the way," she says, "you really need to stop doing that."

"Doing what?" he raises an eyebrow, but his smile never fades. 

"Looking at me like I'm your world," she replies, watching the heat creep onto his cheeks. 

"Someone's full of cheesy lines today," he comments. "You're not the only one, you know."

"And why is that?" 

"Because you _are_ my world. So not looking at you like that? It's gonna be a problem."

And now, it's her turn to blush. 

"I wonder where you got that one," she teases. "I think I might've heard it somewhere, Noodle Arms."

"And yet you blushed. I told you I'd make you crack one day," he says, putting an arm over her shoulder. This time, she doesn't wince. 

"But that day isn't today, is it?" 

The two walk to the steps of the Shack, sitting down. From on the roof, she can hear Mabel shouting. 

"I am the god of destruction!" she shouts before a firework is released into the air. More come, lighting up the sky with colors. She's grinning. 

Looking around at the people, Pacifica decides at that moment that she finally found a family.

And for the first time in her life, the ringing of the bell isn't there to taunt her. 

It stops.

**Author's Note:**

> hmu at superishs.tumblr.com!!


End file.
